Heavy rainstorms lash China

To the heavy rainstorms that have battered East and South China. The National Meteorological Center has withdrawn its "yellow alert" for heavy rainfall this morning. China uses a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

However, record levels of rain continue to hit eastern and southern China. In Guangdong Province, maximum rainfall reached over 380 millimetres. Since Saturday, an estimated 12 provinces have been hit by rainstorms.

The worst hit provinces are Henan, Hubei and Shandong. The storms have affected a wider region of China compared with the same period last year. Experts say there are many reasons for that.

"The rainstorms are caused by a combination of thunderstorm updrafts and the condensation of water vapour into clouds. These clouds produce large water droplets. The updrafts support these vast amounts of water droplets so that when there's precipitation, a huge amount of rain falls to the ground," said Ma Xuekuan, chief forecaster of National Meteorological Center.

China's Marine Authorities have issued an orange alert for the Liaodong Peninsula. The bureau says sea levels are expected to rise 30 centimetres above the flood warning level. Relevant local authority departments have intensified coast guard patrols and implemented flood management measures.